[This text is machine generated and may contain errors.]

By Earl Ofari Hutchinson

In June Newsweek magazine
boasted that many Black Americans
are living better than ever before in
America. They are better educated,
make more money, live in better
neighborhoods, and own more busi-
nesses. The message is that since
things aren't nearly so bad as many
blacks make it out to be----stop
complaining about racial ill-- treat-
ment. But many do complain, and
~ complain loudly. And with good
reasons why they do and should.

ePublic Places: Many blacks sub-
jected to poor (or no) service, bad
seating, long waits, special cover
fees and prepayment requirements
in restaurants. Even if the lousy
service has nothing to do with race
since it's difficult to determine
whether it is deliberate discrimina-
tion management, inattentive wait-
ers, or shorthanded help, the
experience is deeply unsettling for
many blacks who suspect that
mistreatment has everything to do
with race.

Then there's the perennial problem
with cabs. Many blacks shake with
rage as cabs ignore their signals
then stop a few feet in front of them
to pick up whites. Some cab drivers
privately admit that they won't pick
up blacks. They claim they fear
being robbed or assaulted. But
when was the last time a Cab driver
was assaulted by a black business
person dressed in a suit and tie or
designer dress with an attaché case
in their hand?

eRetail stores and residential neigh-
borhoods: Black customers are

Serving Eastern North Carolina Since 1981 "

often followed by security guards
and ignored by clerks and sales
personnel. Many are frequently
required to produce ID's or driver
licenses to verify checks and credit
cards even when they have accounts
in residential neighborhoods, black
contractors, plumbers, electricians,
gas and telephone service employ-
ees are often watched and followed
by residents and harassed by police.

eThe Glass Ceiling: Corporations
issue glowing press releases, bro-
chures, assorted handouts and an-
nual stockholder reports that boast
of their commitment to diversity.
Yet ten out of ten senior managers
are white, and the number of black
CEOs can still be counted on both
hands. And many blacks still insist
that they receive less pay, fewer
promotions and or subject to greater
harassment on the job than whites.

eBusiness: The biggest problem for
black business owners is still secur-
ing capital. The majority of black
businesses receive little if any
capital from financial institutions,
and many of those that do, pay
higher interest rates on their loans
than white-owned businesses. While
black business has grown steadily in
sales and volume of business it still
is a poor stepchild in the corporate
world.

eNet Worth : Nearly nine out of ten
adult blacks in the work force
depend almost solely on their wages
to live on. They receive little or no
income from stocks and bonds.
While about one out of three Black
professionals have incomes that
exceeds $ 4,000 monthly they have

ewe find the fruits of success, the taste is nothing |

{Mood of Black America

few tangible assets in stocks, bonds
and savings. The median black
household net worth was one-
seventh of the median for white
households in 1992. That figure has
not budged much higher since then.

eHousing: During the 1980's and
1990's about one in three blacks
fled to the suburbs. However, they
quickly discovered that the suburbs
they moved into soon looked like
the all-black neighborhoods they
had left. In every metropolitan area
the majority of black suburbanites
were resegregated. And many
blacks including affluent black
families that live in predominantly
white neighborhoods still complain
that they or their kids experience
insults or social ostracism.

eEducation: More black students
are trapped in crumbling, dilapi-
dated public schools with more
ill-prepared teachers, indifferent ad-
ministrators, and outdated texts and
equipment than two decades
ago.Worse, many of these students
are in urban public schools that are
even more segregated than those
schools were two decades ago. Even
President Clinton at the commemo-
ration ceremony in 1997 marking
the fortieth anniversary of the Little
Rock school desegregation battle
shamefacedly admitted that the
schools in Little Rock and other
cities were nearly as segregated as
they were forty years ago. These
towering obstacles that no amount
of cherry talk about how much
progress blacks have made can
erase.And that's why many Blacks
are still in a bad mood !

August 20, 1999 August 27, 1999

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James Wynn nominated for
US Court of Appeals

If Confirmed, Wynn will be the first Black to sit on 4th Circuit Court

© Legendary Fin Brn
~ faced judge incomes
violence dsturbanee

A trail date was set for Wednesday for Hall
of Fame football legend Jim Brown, who
faces charges in connection with a domestic
disturbance.

Brown 63, pleaded innocent last week to
misdemeanor charges stemming from an
incident last month in which the football

(WASHINGTON) -_ North
Carolina Court of Appeals Judge
James A. Wynn Jr. was nominated
last Thursday to fill a long-
standing vacancy on the 4th U.S.
Circuit Court of Appeals.

Senator John Edwards, who had
recommended Judge Wynn to the
White House, urged the Senate to
confirm his nomination by
President Clinton.

"I am proud of Judge Wynn,"
Senator Edwards said. "I hope the
Senate votes to confirm him so
North Carolina will be represented
on the court the way it deserves to

Judge Sam J. Ervin II is the only
judge from North Carolina now
sitting on the appeals court that
reviews decisions by federal trial
judges in, North Carolina, South
Carolina, Maryland, Virginia and
West Virginia.

If he is confirmed by the Senate,
Judge Wynn would fill a judgeship
that has been vacant since
December 1, 1990, longer than
any of the of the 25 unfilled
judgeships on federal courts na-
tionwide.

A native of Robersonville, Judge
Wynn, 45, now lives in Cary. He
has been a North Carolina Court
of Appeals j since 1990,
except for a brief period in 1998
when Govern Jim Hunt elevated

him to fill a temporary vacancy on
7

the Supreme Court of North
Carolina. He also serves in the
Navy Reserve as a captain and a
commanding officer in the Judge
Advocate General Corps. He
joined the reserve after his active
duty enlistment in the Navy from
1979 to 1983.

Judge Wynn was a North
Carolina Assistant Appellate
Defender from 1983 to 1984. He
was in private practice from 1984
to 1990 at the firm of Fitch, Wynn
& Associates, which had offices in
Greenville and Wilson.

Currently serving as vice presi-
dent of the North Carolina Bar
Association, Judge Wynn also is a
member of the North Carolina -
Judicial Conference, the American
Bar Association, the North
Carolina State Bar, and the North
Carolina Association of Black
Lawyers. No African American
judge has ever sat the 4th Circuit
Court of Appeals.

Senator Edwards also has urged
the Senate to act on the nomination
of U.S. Bankruptcy Court Judge J.
Rich Leonard of Raleigh to be a
federal trial judge to be in the
Eastern District of North Carolina.
Judge Leonard was nominated on
March 24 for the position that has
unfilled for so long that the

udicial Conference of the United
States has declared the vacancy a
ojudicial emergency".

legend allegedly threatened to kill his wife
and smashed her car windows.

The former Cleveland Browns star remained
free on his own recognizance, but is charged
with one count each of vandalism and
making terrorist threats against his 25- year-
old wife monique, during an argument at
their Hollywood Hills home on June 15.

The couple was arguing over their
relationship when Brown grabbed a shovel
from the garage and started smashing the
windows of his wife 1994 Honda Accord,
said Mike Qualls T of the City's Attorney's
Office.

The wife ran to a neighbor's house and
called police about 6:50 p.m. Qualls said.
After interviewing her, Los Angeles police
arrested Brown on suspicion of making a
terrorist threat.

Monique Brown said at an earlier news
conference that she was to blame for the
incident.

"It was regrettable," she said of her 911 call.
"It was rash. Jim would never harm me, or
touch me. I was never in any fear of my life,

or thought that he was threatening me in any |»

way."

"| just wanted to use the power I thought |
had at the moment, because I wasn't getting
what I wanted," she said.

If convicted, Brown could face up to 18
months in jail and a fine, prosecutors said.
Century City attorney William Graysen said
his client is a victim of over zealousness by
police and prosecutors.

"My client is not O.J. Simpson. The police
and the prosecutors agreed that he did not
beat up his wife," Grayson said.

Brown admitted breaking the car windows,
but said he committed no crime because he
bought the vehicle for his wife., Grayson
said. "A neighbor saw her fall over the
balcony and called police. The police
assumed that he had thrown her over the
balcony, but she had fallen. When prosecu-
tors found that out they dropped the charges.

!

The Agape Community Health

Clinic was established to de-
velop and maintain primary
health care in the Washington
and surrounding areas for all
residents desiring those serv-
ices and especially for those
who have limited access to
medical care.

Agape will provide primary
medical care, basic laboratory
services, case management, eli-
gibility assistance and pastoral
counseling. We have received
special funding that will allow
us to provide services for a
co-payment of $5, $10, $15, or
$20 to those that are 200% or
less than poverty guidelines
and that meet program require-

ments. Please call our office to

find out how to qualify.

At Agape the care team is led
by a physician assistant under
the supervision of our Medical

Director.

We are also staffed by a
assistant
(MOA), a licensed practical
nurse (LPN), and a registered
nurse (RN). Agape's business

medical office

New Clinic Opens in Wa

practices are supervised by an
office manager.

The Agape Community Health
Clinic will strive to meet the
needs of all residents of
Beaufort County and
Surrounding Areas by treating
the entire individual.

We have a Spanish interpreter

available for our mult-cultural
population. We have literature,
signs and MAP Applications
available in Spanish.
We also participate in the State
Migrant Worker Program as
well as the State Immunization
Program.

We are networking with the
entire health care community to
maintain a referral base of
specialists and a local hospital

where they have admitting

privileges.
We are developing a
Continued Quality

Improvement Program to as-
sure services provided meet
high medical standards and are
accessible, affordable and effi-

cient.

We will continue to seek

funding and volunteers to ac-
commodate the needs of the
population we serve.

The determination of eligibil-
ity for the MAP Program is
based on the Family Economic
Unit (EU).

The EU is defined as an
individual or group of children
and/or adults who live at the
same residence and pool their
economic resources to pay for
the group's living expenses.

An individual can not have
any type of insurance and
qualify for the MAP Program.
Proof of income sources and
Medicaid/Medicare and Health
Choice denials required.

Metropolitan Community
Health Services, Inc.

AGAPE COMMUNITY
HEALTH CLINIC
118 W. Fourth Street PO Box 1886
Washington, NC 27889
Phone: (252) 940-0602
Fax: (252) 940-0605

1-888-948-2448 |
E-mail: clinic@beaufortco.com

8

Appearing at Guy Smith Stadium,
Monday Sept. 6th 1999 at the annual
Soul Stirrers, The Drifters, Willis Pittman, The

Powell Tradition.

these young brothers will be singing all of Gods songs on
Labor Day Gospel Family Reunion along with the Original
Vine Sisters and many more look out for the

(Photo By Jim Rouse)

=

adie old i iiclais talk iar eanpunces he heard
"former Black Panther, Mumia Abu-Jamal, admit
» murdering a Philadelphia police officer. Vanity Fair
~ magazine features an interview with Philip Bloch,
_ who tells a reporter that Jamal made the admission to

aie T Prison. The FOP applauds Bloch Ts * courage, ? and the
ils ii DA's office announces this is proof of Jamal Ts guilt.
For the better part of a week in summer of 1999 newspapers ran banner
headlines, and talk shows did a brisk business in the above story. The
gossip-oriented, Disney-owned o20/20 Show ? called it a osignificant
development ? in the Jamal case, and shamelessly hyped the show Ts new
owitness, ? from a man who claimed he was a close personal friend.

In a startling departure from journalistic ostandards, ? not a single newspa-
per or so-called onews ? show bothered to check his tale with me, nor to check
him out with the Pennsylvania Prison Society, the agency that he was briefly
affiliated with during his visits to state prisons in Pennsylvania. Instead, using
the old othey did it "so we can do it ? justification, papers and other media
leaped at the chance to sell papers with this ohot ? new story! You could almost

-hear them drooling at this oscoop! ? Stop the presses! Rarely has one lie drawn
so much ink, so much videotape, or wasted so many trees!

Let us suppose (just for the sake of argument!) that Bloch is speaking
the truth. Have you ever seen cops embrace snitches so warmly? In truth,
cops hate snitches, as shoufd be clear from cop cases where cops tell on
other cops! Do you think the cops who testified as to the brutal assault on
Abner Louima in New York were hailed for their ocourage ? T? Or were
they damned and ostracized? What do you think?

_ Bloch claims I was a oclose personal friend ? of his yet, admits his letters
went unanswered for years! If his tale is true, isn Tt he a snitch and a traitor?

Yet, there is no truth to Bloch Ts revelations, as will be seen by his own
words. Again, just for the sake of argument, let us suppose all he said is true.
Why would he write the following words to me over 6 months after my
oconfession ? to him? I watched the movie "" Incident at Ogalala ? [sic] last
month "after Peltier Ts [note: this refers to Native American political prisoner,
Leonard Peltier] co-defendants were acquitted by the jury "({in a separate
trial) "the FBI (interviewed on camera) were saying that the jurors and their
families had been intimidated by Indians. Then they interviewed the foreman
of the jury "and he said that nobody on the jury had ever seen any Indians "
there was no truth to the FBI allegations. Then the juror said to the camera "
I thought that the FBI agents were going to kill all of us (the jury) "after the
verdict was read. So "it is possible to get justice from a jury~ "not always "
but sometimes. So, when you get anew trial "I think that there is a good chance
of acquittal. (letter; July 17, 1993) [ ... Bloch] Question: Why write to a guy and
write about new trials, or acquittals, if that guy confessed his guilt to you?
Answer: Simple. There was no confession. Period. Mr. Bloch knew that six
months after the time of an alleged oconfession, ? which means he is lying now.
Did Bloch, like the cops of the 6th District, conveniently oforget ? this
oconfession ? also?

I don Tt know, and frankly don Tt care why he has now come forward.
Perhaps he Ts frustrated that he Ts still a substitute teacher, and. wants a push
from friends in high places? Perhaps he seeks the warm glow of the
limelight.

Who knows? Who cares?

By his own words, it proves he may not be a snitch, nor much of a
traitor "but a liar.

__By this episode, he T $ proven how low so-called trash ate l can Bo.

ante Today's News
Its Tomorrow's
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Sin oy san a REBT EB cE REE OA AOE A DOA RAE ERE RUT RICE sR RRS

WONnS OF
A f like to
them to the
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Gizaanulite

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2/783

iZATS VOU WOL
nen

VALI IS St.
NC

This is a topic I
haven Tt written

allowed it. Ricky Williams agentneeds
his a** kicked for having his client Ts

~ him during a-visit in winter of 1992 at Huntingdon

about in a long time. But it Ts been
a long time since I Tve been this
enraged about a particular issue.
I'm generally impassioned about
most topics I take up, but this one,
for some reason, really pissed me
off.

Maybe it was a culmination of
things. But what sent me off the
edge was seeing a picture of all-time
college rushing leader, Heisman
Trophy winner and NFL top draft
pick Ricky Williams in a photo with
his new pro team coach, Mike Ditka.

The photo was a preview of this
week's ESPN magazine (Aug. 9) cover
shot about the upcoming NFL season.
Ditka and Wiliams oare getting mar-
ried, ? a reference to the New Orleans
Saints T long-term commitment to Wil-
liams. Both are dressed as bride and
groom, You can guess who was in the
pm bape Itwasa sickening dem-

of image manipulation. If

oie we were still coach of the Bears,
they never he have done this with
i, goamarbeck MeNown(the Bear's
choice from UCLA) or any

| rising pte Suh woul
wouldn't do

image twisted just to get a magazine
cover. Williams didn Tt need a maga-
zine cover that badly. But they (media,
television, marketers) are quick to twist
a black man Ts image. In fact, they Tre
omainstreaming ? the oblack freak, ?
the gay, the drag, anything twisted
these days you can generally see it in
print or electronic media ... in black
face and a male.
While I Tve never been one for
total political correctness, and ocourt
the line ? of free speech and freedom
of the press quite regularly, I try to
maintain some civil sensitivities
about certain issues, Not this week.
You're "bout to see me ogo off. ?
In the 24-hour period before I
wrote this piece, I saw a oSpin City ?

rerun in prime time, of the black

male homosexual character trying
to get his male boxing acquaintance
to ocome out of the closet; ? three
black homosexuals on oJerry
Springer ? talking about oI got a se-
cret to tell you; ? reruns of oMalcolm
and Eddie ? and oBetween Brothers ?
with enough buffoonery in one hour
to last one month; and photo man-
hunts of alleged black robbers and

an alleaed hlack Faniet an the nightly

oThe Minority Voice: August 20 - August 27, 1999

cof alg a
pr spy otal OO

rough day at the Ford,.GM or .
Chrysler plant, it was always.alittle

easier to stop by the neighborhood

tavern, enjoy a cold beer, and then -

go home.
That way, you tended not to take
out your hostilities on your family.
Tough Tony Thompson worked
in the foundry at the Chevy plant.

He got his nickname because no-

matter how hotit got inthe foundry
or how the hot metal splashed as it
was poured, he never wavered. He
never stepped back. He always
seemed to step right into the right
spot.

That, however, was not the only
reason he was called tough. He was
known to turn out a bar if someone
rubbed him the wrong way. There
were a few things that frightened
him. One of them was his wife and
the other thing was a snake.

If a kid walked down the street.

with atoy snake, Tough Tony would.

cross the street so he would not .

have to come in contact with the kid
or the snake, Conversely, the mean-
est guy in the neighborhood could
look to have his clocked cleaned if
he messed with Tough Tony.

One Thursday night, after get-
ting his paycheck. (in those days,
many of the plants paid off on Thurs-
days). Tony decided he would stop
in the bar and have a few drinks. He

brought several of his friends with -

him and they started having a good
time. A real good time. Tony would
buy around and then someone else
would buy a round and so it went
for the rest of the evening.

Even acursory ex-
amination of the
recently released
statewide Stanford 9 Achievement
Test results underscores the dismal
performance of African American
students, as well as the utter failure
of school districts to educate these
students. But who Ts raising hell,
demanding that the system educate,

"not warehouse studénts ?of cotor?

Has there been an outcry over the
test scores by African American
parents, educators, community
groups or black community press
conference experts?

The low achievement scores of

. black students and an array of re-

lated issues do not lend themselves
to 30-second sound bites or vacu-
ous pronouncements of bogus solu-
tions. The failure of public.educa-
tion for black students causes barely

" aprotest ripple, reinforcing the edy-

cation status quo and ensure cof-
tinuing abuse of the community Ts
most precious asset "its children.

Lack of student achievement also
involves teachers, the front-line
professionals who have primary
responsibility for helping develop
students T potential. Among the rea-

sons teachers fail to meet this re-
. T sponsibility are inner city adminis-
trators, school boards and politi-

cians whose priorities often have
little to do with educating children.
Except for experimental programs,
(which have limited time and lim-
ited funding), the bedrock issues in

news. Then, there was.the iniamart
Heisman Trophy winner in the
odrag ? photo with my morning cof-
fee.
_ And you wonder why people
cross the street when they see a black
man coming, suspect him of some-
thing ... anything, at first sight or
have problems relating to serious
black men in serious situations such
as business, policy or social con-
cerns.

The black man Ts image have be-

.gome so twisted that society has

almost come'to expect what they see
in our societal lens of mass commu-
nication. And, it Ts a global context
whether we, as black Americans,
want to acknowledge it or not. The
ofreak ? you see in prime time today,
is the freak that runs in perpetual
(lifelong) syndication in Asia. So
when they come here, they already
have preconceived judgements of
black men, va ge
Tttook black soldiers who fought
in WWII 30 years to eradicate the
rumor that oblack men had tails (like
monkeys). ? That was a stark reality
of the twisted images of black men
put out there by both Japanese and

racist white soldiers frustrated with
the enerace and natoriety of the

Tobey, one

"Wes the ber teed 2.0m,
to go home.
the barmaids, sug-
gested they all adjourn to her house
and they could keep on drinking, ©

gohody was:

just as long as they slipped her a
few bucks for. the inconvenience.
Everybody. agreed, and away they
owent.

legger and bring in some booze.
She also advised him to get some
Polish sausage and bread, just in
case they got hungry. Tobey saw
her pockets getting fat.

Somebody stopped by the

Cunninghain drug store and bought
several decks of cards. This was
just in case somebody wanted to
play a little poker or blackjack.

This promised to be quite an
evening or morning, whichever was
the case.

_ Tony and his gang began to come
into Tobey Ts place. When the count
was taken, there were 14 guys and
three females in the party.

They drank and they drank and
they drank. By now it was nearly
five a.m. and nobody seemed to be
getting tired. Tobey and her boy-
friend were still pouring booze as
the sun crept up over the horizon.
And still they drank. /

_ Some bright soul then introduced

the idea of playing strip poker. This
might have worked all right except
Tough Tony wanted both Tobey
and her boyfriend to play.

Now, Tobey was a fairly small
but shapely young lady. She was
light-skinned, lighter than café au
lait, with freckles and red hair. Many
au the patrons of the bar came into

urban education (and education re-

form) are often not addressed and
amazingly, are not priority concerns
for education officials. This has
devastating consequences for Afri-
can American students who score
lowest and receive fewest resources.

Acase in point "the recently filed
lawsuit by Attorney Johnnie Cochran
and the American Civil Liberties
Union. It is a class-action lawsuit
against the Inglewood School Dis-
trict and State Department of Educa-
tion requesting that the court require
Inglewood High School, as well as all

- other high schools in the state, to

provide equal access to Advanced
Placement courses. These classes pro-
vide advanced college credit, as well
as the chance to receive five grade
points for an oA, ? when non-AP
classes can only give four grade points
for an oA. ?

The case.is based on the fact that
Inglewood High School, whose stu-
dents are virtually all African

American and Latino, has only three
AP classes, none of which is in
science or mathematics, whereas, a

school such as Beverly Hills High.

that has less than 9 percent African
American and Latino students, of-
fers 14 AP classes, including 6 sci-
ence and math. In other words, stu-
dents at Inglewood High School
can only receive a 4.0 grade point
average, putting them at a serious
disadvantage in applying to such
schools as UCLA, whose incoming»
class last year had a GPA of 4.19.

Tuskegee Airmen.
Now we are willingly play othe
freak ? for entertainment. The Will-

iams piece was particularly disturb- -

ing because he-had cultivated a kind
of oloner-culturalist ? image (with
his quiet demeanor and Afrocentric
orasta ? look) that had been accepted.

When you perform and create
economic opportunity, people care
less what you look like, particularly
in sports and entertainment. Peoplc

counter the argument with, oWell,

what about Dennis Rodman? ? Well,
what about him? Rodman chose to
have his image exploited in the most
vile and twisted ways imaginable.
The colored hair and tattoos I could
live with. People. have a fight to
express their individuality, The
cross-dressing and bisexual innu-
endo I never accepted but the main-
stream media had a field day with it.
Now every black man is expected to
have adress in his closet somewhere
and a secret to tell, Williams wasn't
in that category. He's star quality
that doesn Tt need ESPN or anybody
else if he runs the football. They'll
all come to him as a straight-up
black man, like they did Jim Brown,

oWalter Payton and even 0.3.

Simneon
|

"prox Tey.

"She called her live-in boyfriend
and told him to run out to the boot-.

Anyway, the game ont oer

way. But there were unforeseen

developments. Tony and his gang
didn Tt Know that both Tobey and
her boyfriend ran after-hours joints

with gambling, all over the city of

Detroit from time to time. So, when
the game got underway, guess who
the winners were? You got it! Tobey
and her old man.

_ Well this didn Tt go over too well.
Everybody was losing their cloth-
ing just as fast as Tobey could deal
the cards. By now, Tough Tony was

feeling no pain and he decided he

would just ignore Tobey Ts old mah
and make a straight-out play for
Tobey.

He waited until she had finished
dealing and had gotten up from the
table. He asked her for a drink and
then followed her into the kitchen
and made a play for her. He tried to
get her in a corner so he could kiss
her. Tobey, being as streetwise as
she was, did not want to create a
scene in her own house. That could
get expensive. So she just kind of
sidestepped him and kept on serv-
ing drinks and fixing food.

As the morning became more
prominent, Tobey realized she
would have to get thes¢ people out
of her house if she was going to get
any rest and be in any shape to come
back to her job later in the day.

Tony, however, was determined
to get to Tobey and he was relent-
less. Her boyfriend, recognized the
problem she was having and tried to
intervene, but Tony, just picked him
up bodily and tossed him out of the
house and closed the door on him.

Tobey, became sweet and atten-

The fact that school districts such

_as* Inglewood, Compton and

Lynwood are governed by people
of color, in no way absolves them
of responsibility for educating all

students. One would hope that these .

districts are especially motivated to
provide quality education for their

students. However, the Inglewood ©

Board of Education was apparently
oblivious to the ongoing inequity
endured by its high school students,
since it did nothing to remedy the
situation. Unfortunately, all of this
speaks volumes to the negligence
in Inglewood and most other inner
city school districts. "

(Inglewood Ts failure to expand

the AP courses is all the more rep-

rehensible since the Inglewood High ;

principal's proposal to expand AP

course offerings was rejected by.

the district superintendent in 1995.)

Student achievement is the
single-most important gauge of suc-
cess in school. This is, in some
ways, unfortunate because race, in-

come and politics, among other fac-

tors, are major determinants of who
succeeds and who fails.
Nonetheless, most probably

quantifiable achievement tests will "

remain the preferred assessment tool

for the foreseeable future in public
education. Therefore, it is all the

more important that African Ameri-
can parents. -and the broader com-
munity demand the their students
be as prepared for higher education

and the world of work as students in

on oKareem Abdul-Jabbar in its
oGreatest Athletes of the Century ?
series, saying he was omoody, ?
omilitant, ? and oaloof ? most of his

_ career. Naw, he was serious, cultur-

ally centered and didn Tt take any

-.bulls**t off the media. So much for
_ what ESPN thinks about black male

images.

On the sexual orientation tip, I
don Tt apologize for my oNeander-
thal ? views. I Tm as open as the next
individual about what a person does

behind closed doors and would be
out front to protect that right (of "

privacy), I don Tt perceive myself as
particularly homophobic, but could '
care less what your sexual prefer-
ence is, and owho you do ? behind
closed doors (or in your back yard
for that matter). I'mlike the military
in that vein, oI won t ask you, and
please don Tt tell me. ? In fact, het-
erosexuals who brag about their ori-
entation offend me. If you're a stud,
great, If you're a freak, fine. Keep it

to yourself and the one(s) who.

choose to deal with you, Whatever
your preference, you don Tt have to.

wear it on your sleeve, Butit is clear

that the entertainment industry
chooses to oe black men as

ch ced ose v0 dal bee

money from Tony, with an unspo-
ken promise of better things tocome.

She managed to get Tony to come
into the living room and stretch out
on the couch. He quickly fell asleep.

Tobey then went into his pockets
and found his home phone number
and called his wife. She explained
he had alittle too much to drink and

was asleep on the couch.

The wife having been through
this before, told Tobey he would
sleep for at least five or six hours,
but that he would be a bear when he
awakened. Then she told her he was
afraid of snakes.

This was the high point of the
escapade. Tobey Ts little sister had a
little garter snake for a school
project. It was just two feet long
and she lived a block away. Tobey
trekked to her sister Ts house, put
the snake in an oatmeal box and

_came back home where Tough Tony

was.

Tobey waited about an hour and
then went into the kitchen and got a
cold towel. She placed the towel on
Tony Ts forehead and as he came
awake, she dumped the contents of
the oatmeal box in his lap. He sat
for a second or two as the realiza-
tion hit him. He began to shake and
then roared with fear, jumped up
and ran through Tobey Ts.front door
with some of his clothes in his hands.
The rest were on the couch.

People who saw him, said he
was running at least 20 miles an
hour down the middle of the streets,
partially naked, screaming at the.
top of his lungs. Word has it, he has
not had a drink since that day. And
that was in 1959. .

URBAN PERSPECTIVE nese eneemummacmammene
Test Scores and African American. Students

more affluent school districts. Par-

ents and community organizing
campaigns aimed at securing ac-

cess and equity in schools would be
a start in the right direction.
Education reform in Los Angeles
has had little or no impact on inner
city schools which are populated al-
most exclusively by Latino and Afri-
can American students. The Stanford
9 Achievement Tests results dranidti-
cally attest to this fact and curiously,
perhaps predictably, those students
who are most in need of the benefits
of education reform are least likely to

_ be affected by its programs.

Focusing on the educational
needs of African American students
and using the results of the Stanford
9 Test as the launching point "Af-
rican American parents, elected of-

' ficials, educators and interested oth-

ers could develop strategies for

mobilizing resources to turn educa-

tion around for African American
children. There is no higher prior-
ity than securing the future of chil-
dren and it is past time that the
entire school community began ac-
cording the children Ts future high-
est priority.

Parents and interested others
might begin by meeting together,
drawing up specific concerns to be
presented to boards of education,
who are ultimately responsible for
adopting policiés responsive to the
needs of African American students,
and thereafter demanding that such
ola be implemented.

Twisting the Black Male Image: Tired of Buffoons, Criminals, Gays and Drags? .

ESPN recently did a ohack ? job

osoft, ? ofeminine, ? or in many cases,
straight out oflaming. ?

Fellow columnist and author, Earl
oOfari ? Hutchison called this out in
his book, The Assassination of the
Black Male Image, and as a recent
series on the decline of minorities in
TV discussed, there is a oprolifera-
tion ? of gay images in television
roles. And that doesn Tt include the
ofreak ? shows like oJerry Springer ?
and oRicki Lake ? that can Tt find
enough black images to exploit.

You rarely see white men owith
secrets to tell ? about sleeping with
another man (another woman, maybe,
ora woman sleeping with his woman "
but another man, rarely), One of the T
few instances which it did occur ended.
up in murder and a wrongful death suit:
againet the freak show producer oJenny,

Jones ?...

But not a day goes by where one
of these shows don Tt have some
twisted black image before the
world. I, for one, am tired of seeing

em. And I'm tired of seeing them
try to create more of em.

I hope Ricky Williams is pulled
to the side on this one, He has too
much going for him to be odragged ?
into the denigration of the black male
image before he plays one day of pro

|

o, The Minority Voice: August 20 - August 27, 1999

Teenage drug use fell 2 ) = neem erereeeg
in 1998: Government report wards JF.
Teen drug use is beginningto © ~ | School ©
creep down after climbing through = Super Star
the 1990s, the government reported " | Mcneil
Wednesday. An annual survey found || wanted by all
that one in 10 teenagers uses mari- 1 | High School
juana or other illegal drugs " down i} iu is alread
from-1997 though still nearly double | coaches Is already
what it was in 1992. . | experiencing the
President Clinton and others called fame. The "M

voice would
| like to congradu-

the results solid evidence that the
nation had reversed course.

Woman fleeing sexual late this young su-
ritual gains asylum per star on his
A New York woman who fled bright future.

Africa two years ago to avoid geni-

tal mutilation has been awarded po-
litical asylum.

The Boatd of Immigration Ap-
peals granted the petition of Ade-
Jaide Abankwah on the ground that
she had good reason to fear genital
cutting if she returned to her native
Ghana.

Abankwah, 29, is the second
woman to win asylum in the United
States because of the threat of geni-
tal mutilation, which millions of
African girls and women undergo
each year. .

Rev. Sharpton pleads
innocent in St. Louis protest

- - The Rev. Al
Sharpton appears
* to be digging in
for a protracted
fight in the Mid-
west.

The New York
civil rights ac-
tivist refused to
accept a plea
agreement of-
fered by the St.

Louis City Counselor Ts office this

week and instead pleaded innocent
to charges of impeding the flow of
traffic and failing to obey a direct
order by police.

The case, which stems from a Ju-
ly 12 protest in which Sharpton
and about 80 others temporarily

Marquita Pratt and Nikki Jenkins are shown here standing
at the front of the Leslie Building at Pitt Community
College. They recently attended a two-week Kids T
College Dance session held on the campus. They are
members of the Performing Cherubs of Tabernacle Center
Church of Deliverance (1300 Dickinson Avenue in
Greenville). Dr. George Hawkins is their pastor.

shutdown Interstate 70, will now

" " " " " " " " "

head to trial.

Boer Mice! Muhamnad() Minister Ray Muhammad (R}

Rocky Mount's National
Representative for the Honorable

Minister Louis __ Farrakhan,
Brother Minister Ray Muhammad
took a few moments Friday July 2,
1999 to let local "M" Voice
Representative Daniel Mayo do a
quick interview. The Min. Ray
Muhammad wanted to stress the
illness of the Honorable Min.
Louis Farrakhan. He said he spoke
with the Honorable Farrakhan
recently and the Honorable Min.
Farrahan was getting spiritually fit
to prepare for the 40 City tour. The
purpose of this tour would be to
speak to 10,000 or more people
about the changes that are going
on in the New Millennium to come

that most minority communities
will not be ready for. Min. Ray
Muhammad also said that on Oct.
16, 2000 they are planning the
Million Family March. The pur-
pose of this gathering will be to
really establish a 3rd political
force and dévelop town hall méet-
ings. Also the Honorable Min,
Farrahan would like to improve on
Unity. If you are more interested in
information concerning these
agendas Please Contact the Bro.
Min. Ray Muhammad at

2730 S. Wesleyan Blvd.
(252) 985-1139

Friday - 7:30 P.M. to 9:00 P.M.

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*207 SW Greenville Blud., Greenville, NC 27834 °

| to the As a 25-

Black female she believes that her
race and her sex play a part in her
acceptance into many communi-
ties, but if it helps save a life then
she doesn't mind one bit. "I
honestly think they take the

| condoms because they need them,

not because I look cute on any

| given day."

Three days a week, two hours
a day, Robin walks the streets of
Greenville, armed with a black
duffel bag, hundreds of condoms

- and bleach kits. She travels in the

afternoon when she knows more
people are out and about. She is
recognized by many of the people
who she encounters because as
she says, "it's the same people".
Many of the people in this
targeted area are chronic drug
abusers, having been in and out of
several detox programs more of-
ten than not.

"Part of the problem," Robin
says,"is that many programs only
allow you to stay from between
fourteen and twenty-eight days.
That's only enough time to get the

drugs out of your system, before
you go back looking for more."
With the drug of choice for most
addicts being heroin and crack
cocaine, those few days just aren't
enough time according to Robin.
And so because of the many other
problems that go along with
addiction, Robin realizes that she
must focus on one area. Now her
focus is on the prevention of the
spread of HIV and other sexually
transmitted diseases. "It's enough
to be an addict, why complicate
it with HIV?"

Her condom bowls can be found
all around "The Block", an area
that runs from Albemarle to
Martin Luther King. This area,
dotted with shooting galleries,
liquor houses, restaurants and a
spot known as the Outer Limits,
allows patrons to come in and

get condoms through an agree-
ment made between Robin and -
the owners. soe

The condoms, Lifestyles with
nonoxynol-9, are making a differ-
ence in the lives of a group of
young men in the Moyewood
housing area. Known as the Page
Street Boys, they are happy and
grateful that someone is looking
out for them. Given condoms by
Robin on many occasions they
profess to use them and are
always happy to see her.

Whether or not they actually use
them no one knows but for Robin
she admits that she can't work that
way. "I give everyone the benefit
of the doubt," she says. But what
about the people who aren't in
West Greenville, and who can't be
found standing on corners? For
them and anyone who will let her
Robin does "House Parties". "At a
house party we come to your -
house and bring lunch, pizza and
drinks, and talk to you and some
friends about "HIV and STDS,"
Robin says.

Through this type of outreach she
gets to meet people that she
probably won't encounter in the
detention center or at Walter B.
Jones where she also goes and
speaks.

But what about the bleach kits?
The bleach kits are given to
intravenous drug users to. help
them clean their works. Most of
the people who she distributes the-
kits to know how to use them and
don't mind asking for them. "I
have one client, who can't stay
clean and so whenever she comes
out of detox she knows to come
find me. Even though they go
back and forth they know to clean
their works."

For Robin she is convinced that
her presence is making a differ-
ence in this and many other
communities. "Drugs are every-
where," Robin says, "there's a lot
of it going on everywhere." Is she
making a difference, is her asser-
tive street outreach helping to
change Greenville, or is it just a
Band-Aid over a much

roblem? Without hesitation

obin responds, "Even with what
1 do being just a Band-Aid, it
covers something. ? So maybe, just T
maybe that small part can begin to:
eal,

If you or someone you know
needs help, or would like to talk
with someone call
Project Outreach at 758-2129.

Knowledec

6 ee nee emcee

_ The Minority Voice Newspaper | expands OU mind

: t
The Minority Voice: August 20 - August 27, 1999 |

a Comm

lack of planning," Hilts said.
"Greenville does more reacting to |
the growth of the city than
planning for it. That's the prob-
lem."
"The city doesn't need to raise
taxes to remedy it's problems,"
Hilts said. "We just simply need to
be fiscally more responsible.
Believe me, there have been
hundreds of thousands of dollars
lost on that convention center
alone that could have done won-
derful things if used properly in
our communities. We have re-
sources here in Greenville that
could yield incredible things if we
only recognize them and treat
them with respect. This city does
little or nothing in support of our
businesses. Rule number one is -

re Ree:

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Kerna Hilts, 29, postponed law
school to challenge incumbent
Greenville Mayor Nancy Jenkins
in the upcoming November elec-

if we don't support our businesses,
some other city will." Ms. Hilts
said that when she is elected, she
plans to take more of a hands on

tion.Hilts said:she feels confident
that she will defeat Jenkins: "It's
time for a change," Hilts said "We
must go forward."

Hilts, who earned a degree in
communications and Journalism
from East Carolina University in
1993, had planned to attend North
Carolina Central Law School this
fall to become a civil rights
lawyer.

"I've worked hard over the past
o i several years to prepare for law

" school and the LSAT, but this
takes priority in my life right
now," Hilts said. "I don't believe
Ms. Jenkins is the right person to
take Greenville into the 21st
century. ?

Ms. Hilts, who is a member of
the Philippi Church of Christ, said
the city of Greenville can do a lot
more to help lower income neigh-

approach to the office: "For a city
to work, you must take care of the
entire city. You can't forget or
neglect any part of our commu-
nity. We must unite and work
together for the good of all who
live in Greenville."

Educate Your
Children
Encourage
sWivaiime ke
Read.

A

TRADE MART CONVENIENCE
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Dickinson. At Trade Convenience Store # 2,

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J

Greenville (NC) Alumnee

Chapter of

Delta Sigma Theta Sorority, Inc.
Invites You to the 8th. Annual

sisters prepare the best cheese biscuits in borhoods throughout he ci Pinigust 28, 1999
.,_| "These are proud people. They're lo Te. th
Greenville. Everybody love those cheese bis-| jot jooking for handouts, they're Know ledge IS American Legion Building
cuits, so drop by for good service and looking for hope and fairness." pP ower 403 St. Andrews Drive Greenville, NC
7 , - ii "There is a lot of wasteful 1 P.M. - 5 P.M.
a friendly smile. (Photo by: Jim Rouse) |. .nding in Greenville due to the Adulte $12.00

Children (under 12) $5.00
for

Ticket Information
Cynthia Doctor, President
830-0316
Annette Goldring, Vice Present

355-6376
Proceeds will benefit Community Projects.

Moms and dads never seem
to have trouble talking to their
kids about what movies to
rent. What clothes to wear. Or
even what music to listen to.

Then there are those

to their children about peer
pressure, drinking and driving,
self-esteem, and how to make
responsible choices.

Choices like not drinking
until they Tre of legal age. And

subjects that many parents _ if they choose to drink then,

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sie cae EES i 3 i 1

ce ne oe ool + es ?

The Minority Voice: August 20 - August 27, 1999 3

From t | e Cc esk of

DON'T ! DON'T ! DON'T:!

1. Don't lick the silver or clean it
on your napkin.

2. Don't play with your bread as if
it were meddling clay.

3. Don't roll your napkin into a
ball. Leave it on your lap.

4. Don't push your plate back when
you've finished. It should
remain where it is until taken away.

5. Never say: "I'm through". Put
your knife and fork across the plate
and everyone will know you've
finished.

6. Never say: "I'm full ?.

7. Never clean your teeth by
running your tongue around them
while at table. It is ugly to see.

8. Don't lick your fingers, or wipe
them on a chair seat or under the
underside of the table. Use your
napkin.

9. Never leave the table in a fit of
anger.

10. Don't talk so much that it

interferes with your eating, or keeps
others from taking part in the
conversation.

11. Never be so slow or so talkative
that everyone is kept waiting while
you finish your food.

12. But, don't eat as though you
were trying to win a race.

13. Don't drink the juice from the
bottom of a dessert cup. Use your
spoon

14. Never pile food on the back of
your fork,or put your knife in your
mouth

15. Don't lick bits of butter or jelly
from your butter knife.

16. Don't chew with your mouth
open, or talk while it is full.

HAW To Be A GOOD SPORT

A good sport is a person who is
always fair in all his dealings with
others and who is cheerful when
things go wrong or when he can't
have his own way. He knows how
to take the bad as well as the good
with a smile.
everyone finds him pleasant to have
around. Good sportsmanship
should extend beyond games into
everyday behavior at school, at
home, or wherever you happen to
be.

Join cheerfully in whatever is
going on in the way of games or
other
activities, and be good-natured
when things don't suit you.

You are not alone if you find it hard
to be a good sport. Lots of people
have the same trouble, but you can
learn sportsmanship just as you can
learn anything else.

The Top 10 Ways To Build
Your Self Esteem

Be proud that you are unique
Develop your own special style
Don't be discouraged by mistakes
Be responsible

Treat others the way you would like
to be treated

Think positively
Believe in yourself
Don't listen to negative people

Do the best you can at whatever you
do

Take pride in what you do well

THE TOP 10 REASONS WHY
IT'S NO JOKE TO SMOKE

Smoking makes it hard to breathe

You could use the Money for better
things

Nobody wants to kiss a Smokey
mouth

Smoking adds to air pollution

It makes your teeth yellow

It makes your clothes stink
Smokers do poorly at sports
Once you start, it's hard to quit
It can make other people stink
You can get cancer and die

TOP 10 WAYS TO MAKE
SMART CHOICES

Smart people get the best jobs

You can make a lot of new friends
Every day there's something new to
d

0

Teachers will help you with your
problems

You can see the world from your
desk

You can play a sport on a real team
You learn about interesting things

The more you learn, the better you'll
feel about yourself

It's a safe place that belongs to
everyone

School is neat and better than the
streets

THE TOP 10 REASONS TO
SAY NO TO DRUGS

Drugs and alcohol mess up your
mind

Drugs and alcohol mess up your
body

Drugs and alcohol are a waste of
money

Drugs and alcohol can be addictive

The increase crime in your neigh-
borhood

Drug and alcohol users hurt other _

people

If you get caught with them you will
go to jail

Drug and alcohol users are losers

"THE TOP 10 WAYS TO
PREVENT VIOLENCE
Avoid places known for violence
Use words to settle arguments
Avoid drug and alcohol users
Learn how to control your anger
Think about the consequences be-
fore you act
Never carry a gun or weapon to
school

Join a crime watch program

Report anyone carrying a weapon to
authorities

Realize that violence doesn't solve
problems

HUGS
" Hugs are better than drugs"

How To Make A Request
1. Look at the person.
Use a pleasant voice tone.
3. State request specifically.
Say please.

5. Say thank-you after request is
granted.

How To Resist Peer
Pressure (Or Say No)

1. Look at the person.

2. Use a calm voice tone.

Use a calm voice tone.

3. Make a positive statement for
praise.

. State the problem specifically.

5. Give a rationale why it's a
problem.

. Offer a solution. |
7. Thank the person for listening.
An Incredible Man

CHUCK AUTRY, a remarkable
man with a humanitarian spirit =
heart, may not possess @

string of honors and awards, but
who is compassionate, caring, and -
Godfearing, a peoples T human being

4

who enjoys he 2 encouraging
and supporting all, in spite of race,
color or His shop is an open

door where individuals in all walks
of life enjoy conversation, camara-
derie and warm hospitality. He's a
positive man, an asset to this

community and to any group or
)

Thank you, Mr. Autry, for the "

inspiration, the
example you set for others to follow
and for the stamina to speak the
truth.

Beatrice Maye

SP i1r-itira_

Dr. George Hawkins

The True Church

The true church today is no
different from the true church
which Christ founded. the term
ochurch ? as found in the bible

does not refer to a building or
structure, neither does it de-
scribe a particular denomination.
Rather, it refers to the actual
people who make up the church,
those who are specially selected
and called out of the world. In
Scripture,the the word ochurch ?
is a translation of the Greek
word ekklesia _ which means
othat which is called out. ? God
is selecting or calling out those
of the proper heart condition to
be associated with His own dear
Son as members of his body,
together making up the church
class.

Jesus explained that the Father
The true church is that company
of people who have accepted the
call of God, believe the teach-
ings of Christ, and have become
separated from the world and
have become separated from the T
world and its spirit. Such separa-
tion is not a physical one, such

as seclusion in a monastery. The
church remains in the world to
be a light to those groping in the
darkness, yet separated from it
by her faithfulness and standards
of the Christian way. (John 17:15)
The church which is described
in the New Testament carries
many Bible names each ~one
describing a particular aspect of
the church. Some of these are:
the bride of Christ, the royal
priesthood, the saints, the elect,
the little flock sons of god the
church of the living God,
Christians, overcomers, and new
creatures. Denominational
names such as Presbyterian,
Methodist, Lutheran, and Baptist
are not found in this list. They
are human origin and tend to
divide the church. Even though
serve their purpose in identify-
ing various groups of people
who are trying to follow Christ,
they do not necessarily represent

the true church. The denomina- -
tional name is not as important
as the doctrines which that group
upholds, and the standing before
the Lord of the individuals who
make it.

Only God has the ability to
determine which _ individuals
make up the true church.
Membership in good standing in
a particular denomination does
not automatically ensure our
salvation. Even if the groups
adopted one of the scriptural
names applied to the church
such as St. John Ts or St. Mary Ts
or St. Peter Ts, this in itself would
not necessarily make us a part of
the true church. What really
maters is whether our individual
names o are written in heaven ?
with those of o the general
assembly and church of the first
born. ? (Hebrew 12:23) This is
dependent upon the degree of
our willingness to serve Him

above all else.

Many of today Ts churches are in
Christian error. False religions,
man-made doctrines and worldly
procedures are not principles of
the Lord Jesus Christ. Churches
have deceived people and have
led them away from the teach-
ings of Jesus Christ. They have
transformed the meaning of the
true church and its purpose into
a voting precinct, whereby a
prospective member is ovoted ?
into its membership -- much like
a social club where omembers
only ? can attend or like fraternal
organization where one oblack
ball ? eliminates you. Our Lord
Jesus Christ accepts all into His
heavenly Kingdom without a
voting system or a Roberts Rules
of Order & Procedure. John
6:35, 37 reads: o He that cometh
to me . .. | will in no wise cast
out. ?

There is a difference between

guidance and the.

opening the doors of the church i
for membership and getting an T
individual to accept Christ by

acknowledging His sins, repre-

senting, and confessing. Being
born again is God Ts only require-":

ment for being accepted into His:
ing inch is chur, ae |

Kingdom. Votin
ror. It is not o
required to be ontidered a a
citizen of heaven and a new
creature in Christ.

Dr. George Hawkins is the
pastor of the Tabernacle Church
of deliverance in Greenville

1001 Red Banks Road + 355-8200
2400 Stantonsburg Road + 752-6609

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ith an

Date: August 20, 1999
Contact: Ms. Miller (336) 724-9222

Subject: Miss Black North Carolina, USofA
Scholarship Pageant

Pageant.

The Miss Black North Carolina, USofA Scholarship
Pageant is currently accepting applications for
contestants. The state pageant is a preliminary to
the national Miss Black USofA Scholarship

The areas of competition include talent, interview,
introduction, future speech and on stage question.
Prizes will be awarded to and for the winner, first
and second runner up, Miss Congeniality, commu-
nity service and academic achievement.

For more information call toll free 1-888-837-
1233 or (336) 724-9222.

" "

De Youve An Bs
Can Ut the 1c ats. s
CONSE Problem ee

over 134 years and we have yet
to begin building wealth. We
cannot begin utilizing all of the
advantages of this free economy
until we have gained enough
wealth to actively participate.
It Ts just not civil rights; civil
rights can get you dignity and
respect but we need more.
It Ts just not political empow-

They Are coming out of the
wood work these days like
termites on the run from an

MOCHA
. oActually I have no major con-

cerns. I feel like whatever is going
to happen will just happen. | will
prepare myself for some of the
things that people say might hap-
pen. I Tm like in the middle. If noth-
ing bad happens, then there Ts noth-

ing to worry about. ?

WILLIAM MAYS

oI should not have to worry about

this because I pay taxes. The U.S.
government should have the Y2K
problem under control. The gov-
ernment should be totally respon-
sible for this type of problem if it

~ does occur. I feel totally at ease. ?

i

Present

THE ORIGINAL SOUL

TEDDY CROSS & THE
MASTER'S CHOICE

_ BILL PICKNEY & THE

- ORIGINAL DRIFTERS

WILLIS PITTMAN & THE

' THE VINES SISTERS

JAMES JOHNSON

oIT see business as usual. I feel
like just like when eighteen hun-
dred became nineteen hundred. |
have no concern whatsoever. I do
realize other people do have con-
cerns but I think they are not seeing
the true picture. Don Tt worry is what
I would tell people. ?

ALMA FAYE JACKSON

oI don Tt think about it a lot. There
has been some talk about running out
of water and food. Also, there are
concerns about missiles or nuclear
weapons that would malfunction. It is
the danger part that I do think about
from time to time. I just pray and go
about my daily business. ?

CNVEN

In Assoication With

STIRRERS

BURDEN LIFTERS

Tammy Edwards & The Edwards Sisters
Big James Barrett & The Golden Jublices
Littic Willie & The Spiritualaires
a, The Junior Consolators ,,.

New Golden Doves
The Roger Sisters
Powell Tradition

Gates Open at
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Program at 12:00
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The Vines Sisters .;

exterminator- new wave, high-
tech racist- like the madman said
to be responsible for the sense-
less July 4th weekend deaths of
former north western University
basketball coach Ricky
Byrdsong, Korean Won- Joon
Yoon and the wounding of
separate groups of Orthodox
Jews and Asians.

their racist propensity is fed
from ignorance that leads to
demagoguery, and much of their
venom is incubated on the
Internet. That hate groups thrive
and even feed and breed off one
of mankind's greatest inventions
is a bane of modern society.

There is no way that such

| groups can be prevented from
| spewing their hateful epistle

over the Internet. It is a message
that may have influenced the
illogical, instance and racist
actions of Benjamin Nathaniel
Smith, 21. For sake of freedom
of speech for us all, that has to
be acceptable.

But there must be more vigi-
lance in overseeing the Internet.
Groups like the World Church
of the Creator, of which Smith is
a member, say they do not
condone violence, but their
agenda begs to differ. The group
advocates a holy war.on what it
calls "mud races," specifically
Blacks and Jews.

Before he allegedly set off on his

fn *

Pe
=

erment; look at Zimbabwe or
South Africa where we now have
enormous political empower-
ment but, yet, no power due to
lack of Black wealth. Civil
rights and political clout are
nice but economic empower-
ment will get you freedom
and authority. Freedom and
authority are the keys to earthly
happiness.

The total net worth of African
Americans is only 1.2 percent of
the total net worth of the nation

New- wave racists coming
out this church's woodwork

murderous spree, perhaps Smith
also read the Church's "White
Man's Bible" that advocates race
hate, which it shamelessly ped-
dles over its Internet site, as well
as alternative music concerts and
gunshows.

Smith had been arrested in the

"past for distributing anti-Semitic

and anti-minority __ literature.
Maybe those arrest should have
set off an alarm in somebody's
mind that this man was very
dangerous.

-- when we are 14 percent of the
total population. We have been .
stuck at that number since the
end of the Civil War in 1965.
Getting rid of the odeath tax ?
will start to create a needed
legacy and begin a cycle of
wealth building for Blacks in this
country. That would be a great
start to breaking the economic
chains that bind us.

What is the death tax? The
odeath tax ? is levied against the
government -- assessed value of
the deceased Ts estate. The rates
can start at 37 percent and can
climb to 55 percent. In essence,
your last remaining parent dies
and the estate they leave to you
and your siblings will be reduced
by the IRS by an amount equiva-
lent to 37 - 55 percent of the to-
tal worth. Thus, the legacy left
by your elders or left by you to
your children can be signifi-
cantly reduced or even wiped
out.
An example: The Chicago
Daily Defender - one of the larg-
est Black-owned daily newspa-
per in the United States - was

Whether born, bred or made by forced into bankruptcy due to
groups like the World Church, financial burdens imposed by the
racist like Smith and others with estate tax. We all remember
his penchant toward violence what happened when the great
must be stopped, through some Sammy Davis Jr. died - his wife

kind of legal and/ or moral
means before more blood is
spilled.

was in bankruptcy within six
months due to the vicious odeath
tax ?.

For now our sympathy goes out
to the Byrdsong family and the _ Store owner Leonard L. Har-
families of all persons affected ris, a first generation owner of
by such demented sprees of hate Chatham Food Center on the
and violence, such as Littleton, South Side of Chicago, can en-
te Smith's fourth of July vision all the work and value he
Inge. ; has put into his business disap-
We pray there will be no further pearing from his two sons. Says

such incidents. The World Cg
Church of the Creator and other Mr. Harris: oMy focus has

groups like it that have been been putting my earnings
implicated in several other hate back in to grow the business.
crimes across the country - For this reason, cash re-
should be closely and carefully sources to pay federal estate

scrutinized and monitored by txes, based on the way valua-
law enforcement officials.

tion is made, would force my
family to sell the store in order
to pay the IRS within 9 months
of my death. Our yearly earn-
ings would not cover the pay-
ment of such a high tax. I should
know, I started my career as a .
CPA ?.

oBlacks Should Help Do Away With oDeath Tax ?

We cannot begin to build
wealth until we start to recycle
our precious dollars. We can-
not recycle our precious dollars
until we have businesses and
ventures to invest in. The odeath
tax ? is in our way!

Fortunately, we now have an
opportunity to get the olegacy
killer ? out of our lives and fu-
ture. There are two bills in the
House and Senate as I write this
editorial. HR 86 and S 56 will
repeal the odeath tax ?.

HR 8 and S 38 wil phase it out
over a specified period of time.
Please keep in mind that this es-
tate tax only contributes about |
percent of the total federal rev-
enue, and of each dollar col-
lected, 65 cents is spent on col-
lecting the tax. The tax pro-
motes virtually nothing but
financial hardship and a seri-
ous insult to the hard work of
our parents.

These bills are making progress
on Capitol Hill. However, we
need to provide a needed boost,
especially to members of the
Congressional Black Caucus
who, many times, aren Tt where
they should be on financial gain
issues. Please call your appli-
cable congressperson or senator
and tell them you support these
bills to end the odeath tax ?. Tell
them it is all right for Black folks
to begin building wealth in this
country. It is not against the law
and it certainly is more enjoy-
able than poverty.

Building wealth will lead to
better education, better health
care, safer streets and sustain-
able communities. Poverty and
the lack of economic empower-
ment will get you frustration adn
hopelessness. The only way to
fight poverty is good govern-
ment and laws that do not penal-
ize hard work, success and sav-

ings. Let Ts put to death the

odeath tax ?!

[Harry C. Alford, Jr., is Presi-
dent/CEO, National Black
Chamber of Commerce, Inc.,
1350 Connecticut Avenue, Suite
825, Washington, DC 20036
(202) 466-6888. ]}

The Minority Voice: August 20 - August 27, 1999

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~The Minority Voice: August 20 - August 27, 1999

By GLENN C. SMITH.
Special to The Sentinel

Part 1 of 2

The very first black American to
attain prominence in British boxing |.
circles was Bill Richmond. He was .
born William Richmond on Aug. 5,
1763 to slave parents in the little
town of Cuckhold, Staten Island,
New York. His mother was a slave
to the Rev. Dr. George C. Charlton.

The story of her son is full of
romance and adventure and of all
the early bareknuckle fighters, there
are few whose name resounds with
more interest and thrills than that of
Bill Richmond. That he became a
pugilist was due entirely to envi-
ronment.

It goes back to the days of the
American Revolution. When
American Colonies broke loose
from the British and opened the
War for Independence, Richmond's
master fled to England, leaving his
slaves to fend for themselves.

The American rebels had cap-
tured Staten Island and held it for a
short time when Earl Percy, head of
the British attacking army retook it.

ing an interest in the boy pressed
He found young Richmond and tak- _ him into service as his valet. When

. BILL RICHMOND "THE BLACK TERROR"

the Earl returned to England, he
still had young Richmond with him.

The boy insisted on accompanying
his new master as servant. Upon

their arrival home, Earl Percy, who

had now become the Duke of

T Northumberland, decided to edu-
cate his young charge and sent hint -

to school.

During the three years of school-
ing Richmond progressed rapidly,
and was ready for a career. He was
given several trades from which to
choose, and he decided on cabinet
making. He was apprenticed to a
handicraftsman in the city of York,
and while studying there, the fee
was paid for by the Duke who had
become very fond of Richmond.
The young lad was likable and had
many friends.

Richmond, like some black
people today, was extremely fond
of gaudy clothes. The brighter the
colors, the better he liked them and
naturally he. attracted undue atten-
tion. His colorful attire got him into
several scrapes because of the taunts
of the York populace. In spite of
that, he handled himself in a man-
ner that did him much credit. No
tormentor was too big or too
heavy "tackled them all and came
through with flying colors.

Thus, without as much as a single

lesson in the manly art.of self-de-
fense, Richmond had become adept

in the use of his. fists. Those who
were tempted to take liberties with
him, were rather wary after several
beatings he had administered to

' those who had badgered him. He

was not a quarrelsome fellow. He
minded his own business but would
not submit to insults. When pro-
voked, he was a terror.

He first gained public attention
in 1791. Richmond and his master
were part of a huge gathering at the
York races on Aug. 25, to see the
Ebor Gold Cup. Richmond's attire
and his black face attracted the eyes
of a bully, Docky Moore. Moore
was a Sheffield knife-grinder, aruf-
fian who was known as the king of
the trouble makers.

When Richmond passed him,
Moore insulted him. Bill controlled
his temper as best he could but
Docky insisted on a fight and de-
manded that Richmond accept the
challenge or take a thrashing.

Among the group who heard the
commotion were Colonel Leigh, the
Duke of Bedford, the Duke of
Queeneberry, Sir Charles Bunbarry
and Colonel O TKelley. It was
O T Kelley who ordered a ring to be

did not faze him.

The result proved a huge jn
pointment to Docky.and his follow-
ers. Richmond whipped him
soundly, closing both eyes and bat-
tering his face to a bloody pulp. All
the conceit was knocked out of him.

Richmond was hailed as a hero.
He was strongly urged to take up
boxing as a profession but he re-
fused. He said he had little inclina-
tion for fighting except when forced
into it. For seven years after that
battle, he continued in his trade
with an occasional fight to break
the monotony and in each he was
successful. Each of his fights was a
provoked affair.

For atime Richmond would fight
only when necessary but finally he
was forced to give in and he turned
to professional fighting to earn his
living.

READ

THIS WAY FOR BLACK EMPOWERMENT

and one of the charter commis-
sion's proposed revisions recom-
mends that elections for Mayor
and other citywide offices should
be conducted on a nonpartisan
basis. This is done in major cities

cluding Los Angeles, Chicago,
Houston, Detroit and Dallas. The
proposal was immeditately mired
in partisan controversy, The
Democrats were reluctant to sup-
port this reform because it would
weaken the Democrats hold on the
electoral process. This kind of
partisan maneuvering around de-
mocracy reform
makes the most eloquent case for
why we need democracy reform.
Still, in spite of the fact that the
New York proposal is now nearly
dead--as a result of partisan

DR. LENORA B. FULANI

Voting Reforms for
the 21Century

throughout the United States in- ?

The sample of cities included only
those with a population of 200, 000
or greater (based on the 1990
census). In total, 24 of the 76
cities have Black or Hispanic
mayors. Of those 24 cities with
Black or Hispanic mayors, 20 had
conducted their elections on a
nonpartisan basis. Comparatively
speaking, 33% of cities where the
election is conducted as a partisan
race.

Many Americans share the de-
sire to make the political process
less partisan and to involve more
voters. Nonpartisan elections con-
ducted by Instant Runoff Voting
(IRV)--another kind of election

reform would be a positive step in
that direction.

Here's how Instant Runoff
Voting works: A voter ranks the
candidates in order of the voter's
preference. A computer program
tabulates all of the first choice
votes and determines whether any
candidate received a majority. If
not, the program eliminates the
last-place candidate and transfer
his or her votes to the next
candidate ranked on each voter's.
ballot. This process continues until
a candidate receives a majority.

Instant Runoff Voting would
eliminate primary elections be-
cause the ranking of candidates in

order of preference accomplishes
one of the things that primaries
accomplish. It saves millions of
dollars in runoff elections, and it
quarantees that the winner is
supported by a majority of the
voters.

Growing interest in IRV has
raised the issue of the compatibil-
ity voting equipment. Many juris-
dictions are replacing older voting
equipment with more modern
technology.

Campaigns for IRV and/or seri-
ous studies about it have taken
place or are taking place at the
state level in Alaska, New
Mexico, Vermont, Texas, and

North Carolina. The = of
Oregon switched to an

voting system and as a result is
enjoying a voter turnout:
anal comt-savig San oonal $3:
million per election . In
Florida, election officials have
conducted a Bold test, of Roum
voting S. military is
considering} Internet for overseas
members of the armed forces.
The Ref Oriaay via mal

Ee

presidential primary ove
phone and computer ball
5000. The new technology
helpful in empowering voters
parties, and making the

more non-partisan.

ite

With two party control of the
electoral process becoming a big-
ger and bigger concern, non-
partisan elections elections run
without party designation and
without special privileges given to
the candidates of the two major
parties) are being considered as an

crossfire--the concept is a good
one.

At hearings on the proceed
reforms, Dr. Allan Lichtman of
American University presented
statistics to the commission on a
recent study of 76 cities comparing
nonpartisan and partisan elections

alternative. fro mayor. These preliminary sta-

This summer New York City tistics indicate that nonpartisan
mayor Rudy Giuliani initiated a elections may be advantageous in
process to revise the city's charter terms of minority represéntation.

It is painful to read articles about children abandoned or cruelly abused
by their parents. In frustration you push the paper aside saying, oI can Tt
do anything about that, ? Yet that knot of powerless indignation

working together with our staff and attorney advocate, you can make a
difference in the life of such a child,

A Guardian ad Litem (GAL) is a trained community volunteer who is

appointed by the court to conduct an independent investigation on

|] ehalf ofthe child. The GAL serves as the chill Ts voice in court. He or
she explores all the facts relevant to the case, makes recommendations

lo the court and monitors the case so that it will move through the |

court and social system without unnecessary delays, The GAL is

|| committed to thinking independently and objectively about each case.

He or she is the only person whose sole task is to focus on protecting

the best interests of the child

ind Read The Minority

The GAL does not serve as the child Ts legal guardian and is not
expected to provide a home for the child, GAL volunteers come from

backprounds. No special legal knowledge is required.

WILL YOU HELPACHILD? ~ " |

persists, You need wot be powerless. As a trained Guardian ad Litem, |

aE

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BUSINESS BANKING

all walks of life, with a variety of professional, educational, and ethnic }

The next training series is scheduled to begin in mid-October. For
further information or an application please contact Eva Rogers at
(252) 830-6217.

Bea Guardian ad Litem
The children of Pitt County need you!

FKeed Your MI

"Business Quest ?

-Equipment Leasing

-Sweep Accounts

-Capital Line of Credit

-Online Banking (Business Express?"?)
-Business Credit Card with CardMiles?"?

www.firstcitizens.com

1-888-FC DIRECT
(1-888-323-4732)

Safe and Sound in the Year 2000

oHelping small
businesses is a major
focus for First Citizens
Bank, and I Td recommend

them to anybody. ?

Leon Batts knows a good thing
when he sees it. And his banking
relationship with First Citizens is
definitely a good thing. oIt Ts almost
like a family thing. The people at First
Citizens Bank know me, and they
know my company. We have a good
working relationship. ?

Triad Cabinet Co. sells and installs
factory-built cabinets, designs kitchens
and builds laminate countertops. oWe
provide the tools and vehicles for
installation. Over the years, we Tve
purchased trucks for our installers,
and First Citizens has provided the

financing for all of them. ?

| You're always first. |

This is a Year 2000 readiness disclosure. Member FDIC.
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ARTS ¢ CRAFTS ¢ CLOTHING AND

Se

CUSTOM FRAMING AVAILABLE

- Located at Tarrytown Mall JAD Mea Marit, shown sow er Fe
Proprietor Business: (252) 937-7557 Brother William and Brother Little, You can buy every thing from used bikes to

to furniture, hammers radios just about anything you need they sell it. And they're open six days
Iris Thompson " Home: (252) 443-7787 a week (Photo By: im Rouse

ee ee ee ee ee

aes fi ab ts "3
bist saath oepee? F pa eH: De Shearer i es Re

To God be the glory ! Brother Michael Brown a member of
Cornerstone Missionary Baptist Church is proud to have
released his new cassette, featuring Christian songs. The new
cassette is available at all Christian music.stores and the

Cornerstone office. ro
(Photo By Jim Rouse)

rT

The late Attorney Richard Powell's Grand daughter to be
lawyer: Grandmother Lillie Powell is all smiles as she poses
with her grand daughter Tara Nichols who was in town
spending grandmother's money & doing some shopping for
law school at Carolina East Mall. Grandpa would be proud of

you.
(Photo by Jim Rouse)

Black student leaders
praise Moore hiring

Black student leaders at ECU
roundly praised Chancellor
Richard Eakin's choice of an
African American as the school's
first vice chanellor.

Garrie Moore, assistant to the
chance llor and director of equal
employment opportunity at East
Carolina University, becomes vice
chancellor for s life Sept. 1.
He will succeed Alfred T.
Matthews, who is retiring.

"Personally, I think it's a
step forward, and I think it's an
excellent move for Dr. Moore,"
Adrian Cox, a graduate assistant
at the Ledonia Wright African-
American Cultural , said.

o[rregardless of race, Dr. Moore is
_ @ very competent and qualified

individual."

The appointment demonstrates
Eakin's ocommitment to minority
staff on campus," Cox added.

Ramsey Connor, president of
ECU's chapter of the National
Association for the Advancement
of Color People, said, "I thought it
was a great opportunity for us to
finally have a bigger voice on
campus," adding that he was not
speaking for the NAACP.

Eakin said race was "absolutely
not" a factor in his decision to
install Moor as a voice chancellor.

"That would be, in my judg-
ment, insulting to Dr. Moore, and
I told him that pretty directly,"
Eakin said. The chancellor said he
has been "incredibly impressed"

STATE OF

Department of
Transportation

James B. Hunt Jr.
Governor

NORTH CAROLINA

P.O. Box 25201, Raleigh, NC 27611-5201

David McCoy
Secretary

ing and minority student affairs.

"I see it as very positive and
proactive move on the administra-
tion's part to not only address the
issue of diversity, but to make sure
we serve the students the best way
possible, ? Moore said of his
appointment.

GWA Neon
Dern Desty Recording (

By: Michael Adams

The first Greenville based recording
company touch base with the play-
ers of gospel music. Devine Destiny
Recording Co. received much atten-
tion from the Gospel Music Industry
when they attended the nationally
acclaimed Gospel Music Workshop
of America.

Never forgetting home base, |

Alfreda Hyman calls home to
WOOW to do an on air interview. It
has been said by many in the
industry that North Carolina is the
hub of gospel music. We can only
give thanks to our people

(Devine Destiny)for keeping it real.
Pictured we have Alfreda Hyman
with Harvey Watkins of the Canton
Spirituals, Rueben Clayton with
Ms. Willie a person with years of
experience in the Gospel Music
Workshop of America (GMWA)
and Tafvye Benson Clayton with
Lee Williams of the Spiritual QC's.
There is much talk about this new
recording company who is moving
into the upper crust of the Gospél
Music Industry. Devine Destiny
truly lives up to it's name. Our
prayers are with you.

PUBLIC NOTICE

North Carolina Department
of Transportation

Federal-Aid Program

Participation By Disadvantaged Business
Enterprises in The Department's

The North Carolina Department of Transportation has established an overall
Department Goal for Disadvantaged Business Enterprises in conformance

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with 49 CFR 26 for Federal Fiscal Year 2000. The overall goal will be 10.3%.

The Public Transportation and Rail Division has set an interim goal of 10.3%.
Aviation Division has set an interim goal of 10.3%.

Your comments on these goals and the methodology used in establishing
this goal is welcomed. All comments should be addressed within 45 days to
Mr. Delano R. Rackard, Director, Civil Rights & Business Development
Section, North Carolina Department of Transportation, PO. Box 25201,
Raleigh, NC 27611 and for further information at 1-800-522-0453 or (919)

733-2300 between 8:00am and 5:00pm.

Support the Black Press

al

Civil Rights & Business pst ale Section
Phone; (919) 733-2300 Fax: (919) 733-8649
Toll Free: 1-800-522-0453

irene otra rile
[ae Minority voice

r ER T

Dont let your home
ecome a house of. cards.

Your home is probably your most valuable possession. Borrowing money based on the value "or equity "of
your home can sometimes be an option for consolidating credit card bills'or paying for things like home
repairs, medical expenses or college tuition. BF

Most banks and other financial institutions make home loans available with good terms, low rates and
_ reasonable fees. But some unethical lenders offer mortgage loans that can strip the equity from your home.

These lenders act more like loan sharks, preying on seniors and low-income homeowners.

ke Easley Ts tips for avoiding home e |

mparison shop. Many lenders offer competitive rai

and understand the co

ressured to sign. Take yout ti

gg es,

r of out-of-state lend

ixpensive extras like credit insurance can add

oYour home is your most important investment. Dont risk it
with a quick decision on a loan that you don't fully understand.
Don't let your home become a financial house of cards. ?

OFFICE OF THE
py ATTORNEY GENERAL

a Aa
"
.
MCN :
Sees 5

' " North Carolina Attorney General Mike Easley

Home E qu Taare like

The Minority Voice: August 20 - August 27, 1999